


The Sweet Way to a Man's Bitter Stomach

by jaeyongficfest



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Baker Lee Taeyong, Fluff, M/M, bitter food critic jaehyun, jaehyun is one stubborn guy, mentions of johnny and ten, taeyong just wants to be friends with jaehyun, very babie yongie is here too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeyongficfest/pseuds/jaeyongficfest
Summary: Jaehyun wasn't a fan of sweets. But his neighbor Taeyong was. Yet what happens when Taeyong happens to strike a deal with him and urges him to eat sweets for the sake of having them critiqued by Jaehyun?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my very first fic here and i did my god honest best with this despite my busy schedule! the basis of this was the prompt "Jaehyun hates sweets with a passion, but he keeps forcing himself to eat every pastry his neighbor gives him just to see his smile" although i switched it up a bit to challenge myself!
> 
> i'd like to thank the prompter for the fun prompt as well! i enjoyed writing this because of how cute the prompt was! hope you like what i did dear prompter!
> 
> to the readers, i'm sorry if this is shitty as fuck. though don't forget to leave comments and kudos as well! thank you very much! here's to more jaeyong fic fests in the future!

Jaehyun huffs as he climbs up the last flight of stairs that lead up to his room, a stack of heavy boxes in hand. Why’d he against hiring a mover to help him with his things, he doesn’t know why. All he knows is that he’s made the decision of moving from his old and crappy apartment complex down to a newly opened one far from it. Although the rent was quite pricey, Jaehyun didn’t mind as the place was spacious and the owner offered to help him furnish his room before he moved in, to which he was grateful for. 

_ No more moving couches or tables all alone,  _ he had once said to himself before moving.

But what he hated was moving his other things and Jaehyun was not happy with the amount of “miscellaneous” belongings he had collected over the last few years. 

He drops the last of his boxes on the floor just right by the door, sighing tiredly before unlocking his door with the keys. Jaehyun starts to pile the ridiculous amount of boxes into his apartment, shoving them in with his foot impatiently. He was starting to feel hot in the slightly cramped hallway and all he wanted to do was crash on his couch and lounge with his rather small fan that his boss gave him two months ago.

When all of his belongings have been shoved and piled neatly next to an empty plant pot, Jaehyun lands on the couch as exhaustion washed over him.  _ Why did I even decide to move when it’s night, I hate myself now,  _ he says to himself as he takes off his glasses and places them on the low-rise coffee table before rolling on his stomach. He allows his chin to rest on the throw pillow and moves one arm, positioning it so that his phone is directly in front of his face. 

Business emails and invitations invade his screen making Jaehyun wince at the amount of work he has this week. It’s not that he  _ disliked  _ his job, but a change of pace and environment would probably benefit him more as he was getting tired of savory and spices dishes from around the city. He wanted something new but he wasn’t sure what the something new was.

Jaehyun drops his phone beside his glasses and lies on his side. His mind swirls at the amount of things he has to do over the weekend before going back to work on Monday. For now, he allows himself to succumb to his exhaustion, the silence of his new place calming him down as he shuts his tired eyes. Now weary, he allows himself to think of two things before he ultimately falls into a deep slumber.

_ At least the commute is nearer. And the place is bigger. _

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Jaehyun wakes up to someone knocking on his door, the noise startling him as he nearly falls off the couch. He reaches out for his phone to look at the time, his screen reading  **10:29a.m.. ** He feels groggy, obviously regretting the decision to crash on his couch instead of his bed but at least he got the sleep he badly needed. He sits up and untucks his oversized shirt from his sweatpants as he reaches out for his glasses.

The knocks got louder, Jaehyun asking the person behind his door to wait a bit as he gets up from his couch. He scratches his hair as he opens the door, his eyes still slightly closed from being woken up unceremoniously.

“Yes?” he says grumpily. His eyes land on a smaller man in front of him, clearly a worker from the cafe just beside the apartment complex judging from his uniform. His eyes were wide and bright as he looked at Jaehyun, a small smile playing on his lips. He resembled a puppy and Jaehyun couldn’t deny that his eyes were magical but in a cute way.

_ Pretty,  _ his mind says. However, Jaehyun’s gaze moved up to the man’s hair and . It was  _ bright pink,  _ the color screaming fun and exciting which Jaehyun  _ hated _ . Jaehyun liked simplicity and  _ class _ and the pink hair only made him suspicious about the man in front of him.

Although he was not denying that the man looked  _ handsome _ , unreal, even. As if he came straight out of a comic book.

“The landlord just informed me about someone moving in here and as a tradition, I’d like to give you these.” Cotton (because his hair looks like cotton candy and Jaehyun found it right to call him that) lifts up a small box and opens it, revealing a neat arrangement of small pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar on top.

“What are these?” Jaehyun asks as he takes the box carefully, examining its contents and giving it a sniff. 

“Those are beignets,” Cotton says, hiding his hands behind his back as he flashes Jaehyun a lovely smile. “I baked a fresh batch earlier, just before the cafe opened and the landlord asked me to bring some up to the new tenant.”

“And you do this…” Jaehyun trails off, poking at the sweet delicacy. “As a tradition?”

“Yes!” Cotton answers excitedly, clapping his hands together. “Although we don’t give beignets  _ all _ the time. One tenant was given shortcakes when they first moved in here.” 

Jaehyun stares at Cotton and back at the beignets. Something about Cotton struck him yet he couldn’t put a finger on it. However, Jaehyun was still sure about  _ one  _ thing and he wasn’t going to hide this from the baker.

“I don’t like sweets,” he apologetically says, smiling sadly as he returns the box to Cotton. He notices the man’s eyes grow sad, a pout forming on his lips as he looks at the rejected gift. He looked like a dejected puppy, to say the least, and Jaehyun resisted this odd urge to give his head a pat.

“That’s so…  _ weird _ ,” Cotton says quietly, looking at him strangely as he holds the box gently to his chest. “Who on earth wouldn’t want sweets? It’s a delight and you’re missing out on it,” he adds, holding up the box of sweets for Jaehyun to take again. 

To begin with, Jaehyun was  _ not  _ offended in any way. For the longest time, his friends have been asking him to eat sweets and he’s denied  _ all  _ of them, even denying the chocolates his admirers gave him during his birthday, opting to accept sour tapes instead. 

There was something about seeing sweets that made him want to hurl in the most unfashionable way intended and he couldn’t understand why was that. Everything that seemed like a sweet delicacy seemed too  _ much _ ; from the amount of frosting to the decorated chocolate on it to the oozing filling it had made Jaehyun dizzy.

“Just give it a taste,” Cotton speaks up again, bringing Jaehyun’s mind back to where he was. The man looks at him with anticipation as Jaehyun hesitantly takes a beignet and takes a bite from it, carefully chewing on the delicacy while the man before him watches his suffering.

The powdered sugar melts in his mouth as he chews, coating his tongue with a thin layer of sweetness that was (surprisingly) absent on the actual pastry. The bread was still warm, making it soft enough to chew, which he greatly enjoyed. It wasn’t the kind that dried up in your throat once you swallowed; in fact, it made Jaehyun  _ want  _ more and so he allows himself to finish the last bit of the beignet on his fingers, licking his lips free of the leftover powdered sugar on it.

“Well?” Cotton asks curiously, biting his lip to suppress a smile that was threatening to form on his pretty face. “Pretty good, right? I baked that myself,” he proudly adds as he closes the box of beignets. Jaehyun was still chewing slowly on the delicacy, giving himself time to get used to eating something foreign.

He swallows rather forcefully, something Cotton laughs at. “It’s a nice treat, but I’m seriously not looking into sweets. And if you don’t mind me commenting on it, the bread started to dry up once it was already cooling down. It’s probably because you left that box open when I handed it back to you.”

Cotton gapes at him, his mouth hanging open. “No way.” He re-opens the box and takes a beignet out, taking a bite out of the delicacy and chewing quickly. His shoulders slightly dropped and Jaehyun looks at him rather apologetically while the smaller man looks at him suspiciously, finishing the last bits of his own beignet.

“Are you a critic or something?”

“A  _ food  _ critic, to be more specific. But I never really critic sweets because I  _ hate  _ them,” Jaehyun answers mechanically, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I won’t be taking the beignets. Thank you for making me taste them, though.” He moves to close the door but the hand on the sleeve of his shirt stops him, causing him to turn around, much to his annoyance.

“What is it this time?” he asks. His coffee-deprived self couldn’t wait any longer to leave the house and go for a cafe hunt despite the fact that there was a cafe just beside the apartment complex. Cotton purses his lips, as if hesitating to ask Jaehyun for something but the taller one gently removes Cotton’s hand on his sleeve, saying, “Speak up. I don’t have all day.”

“Is it okay if I have you taste some of my creations any time?” Cotton asks him shyly, looking at him with those big puppy eyes of his that were  _ damn near irresistible _ . Jaehyun was taken aback by the request but made no efforts to show it to the smaller man before him.

“Why would you want me to do that?” Jaehyun asks pointedly. “And I’m not a casual “foodie” as what other people would like to call me. I actually critic food for a living so I’m sorry if I pass off as a casual critic.”

“Not at all!” Cotton says as he holds a hand up in defense, stepping back a bit from Jaehyun. “And you’re the closest person to me that has proper knowledge on food.”

“First of all, we’re not close—”

“I was talking about the location,” Cotton answers him almost immediately. “Look. All you have to do is give comments on what I bake so that I can improve them and help the cafe. It’s not  _ that  _ much of a big deal.”

“I have work, too, in case you didn’t know,” Jaehyun retorts. The smaller man was  _ not  _ easy to handle and normally, Jaehyun would have shut annoying people up already. But Cotton put up a fight, his words biting him back as he argued with him.

“When are you free?” Cotton asks him. Of  _ course _ he’ll be asking that. Of  _ fucking  _ course.

Jaehyun resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as he answers the persistent man's inquiry. “Saturdays and Sundays. Except for when there are food markets—” He gets cut off by Cotton clapping his hands together, shoving the box of beignets back into Jaehyun’s hands.

“That’s  _ perfect. _ I’ll see you around,” he says as he begins making his descent on the dizzying flight of stairs, his pretty pink hair bobbing like that of a puppy. Jaehyun walks over to the rails, looking down at the spiral while trying to spot Cotton.

“What do I do with these?” he calls out to nothing. Cotton’s head peeks out from somewhere, a grin plastered on his face as he looks up at Jaehyun.

“Keep it! It’s on me!” he announces and disappears, probably off to run down the last few steps, much to Jaehyun’s amusement.

He stares at the box on his hands. Something about Cotton’s offer seemed suspicious but he didn’t know why. 

Sweets were supposed to be delectable, something one should enjoy. But he feels like hurling over the fact that he has to taste them  _ every now and then _ , just for the sake of helping the smaller man out.

Jaehyun shudders at the thought of eating and digesting sweets. “What nightmare-ish welcome,” he mumbled to himself as he enters his room, deciding to drop by the office and hand the beignets and a cup of coffee to his friend, Johnny, instead.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

The next weekend rolls in and Jaehyun finds Cotton standing in front of him once again. It was only a little after nine in the morning when the pink-haired man knocked and appeared before him, the man in question donning a plain white button down shirt, the front part tucked neatly into a pair black pants. He smelled of home baked goods and mostly vanilla, the scent alone enough to tickle Jaehyun’s nose.

“Why are you back?” Jaehyun asks him stupidly. It wasn’t that he forgot Cotton’s offer, it was just that he was working and he didn’t want to be disturbed. Of course Jaehyun realized that he could’ve rejected the baker’s knocks from earlier but it was already too late and now here he was, standing in front of the man from last night.

Cotton holds up a small pack of cookies, the kind women give to someone they liked whenever it was Valentines Day. “I’m here to ask you to taste my dark chocolate fudge cookies. And I know it’s only morning but I have a shift in an hour and I wanted you to taste this before I leave for it,” the man shyly says, smiling from behind the packet of cookies. It was shut tight by a pink and frilly ribbon that was too childish for Jaehyun’s taste. And Jaehyun didn’t want to be mean but if Cotton was going to ask him to taste something, he expected something more.

“Aren’t cookies  _ too  _ elementary to be taste tested? Judging from how it looks, they could be just be basic cookies everyone baked all the time.”

He watches Cotton’s face scrunch up in protest, his eyebrows drawn together and his lips tightly sealed. “Just try one piece,” he says, untying the ribbon on the packaging and opening it just enough for Jaehyun’s hand to reach inside. The critic eyes the plastic of cookies, clearly judging it internally but not uttering a word about it. Jaehyun gives Cotton a look, the latter’s eyes wide and pleading, like a puppy desperate for a small treat. 

He sighed tiredly. Jaehyun wasn’t used to dealing with troublesome people so early in the morning, yet here was a person brave enough to test the limits of his patience. “Just one piece,” he says and takes a cookie, examining it before drawing it near his face. The bitter smell of the sweet snack looked tempting and before Cotton could even urge him to take a bite, Jaehyun does it wordlessly, chewing slowly at the small piece he’s bitten.

The sweetness was overwhelming, however most of it was dissipated by the bitterness the dark chocolate it had. However, what surprised Jaehyun was the melting chocolate that rested on his tongue after biting into the delicacy, the sensation leaving Jaehyun thirsty for water. He finishes the last of the bite-sized cookie before painfully swallowing the remaining pieces.

“Too sweet,” he comments, crossing his arms over his chest. “I could taste the bitterness, but the chocolate was still annoyingly sweet for me,” he adds. “It could use some more work, though I have no idea what do you plan on doing to that.” His remark was slightly harsh and Jaehyun hopes that it was something that would make Cotton stop from coming back.

However, he was taken in surprise when Cotton hands him the pack of cookies, smiling triumphantly at Jaehyun as he begins to take note of what the younger has said to him. “Thank you for that. I think I know what to do next time,” Cotton says, pocketing his phone. “I’ll be leaving now. Have a good day ahead!”

“Wait,” Jaehyun calls out, the pack of cookies in his hand. Maybe he  _ did  _ feel a bit guilty about what he just said but he couldn’t help it. But Jaehyun wasn’t the one to leave a mess and not clean after it. “If you’re going to be doing this every weekend, then we have to set some rules,” he says, drawing Cotton’s attention back to him.

Cotton walks back to his door. “I’m listening.”

“Firstly, I won’t accept taste-testing during weekdays and during mornings, even on mornings during weekends. I know I said my weekend was free, but I’m specifically free during the evening.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“Come after eight in the evening because I’m already done with dinner by that time. That’s all,” Jaehyun says. Cotton nods, understanding Jaehyun’s terms and draws out his hand for Jaehyun to take. The younger takes Cotton’s hand and shakes it firmly, sealing their deal officially.

“My name is Lee Taeyong. It’ll be a pleasure working with you, Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong says, letting go of the younger’s hand before bolting down the stairs. Jaehyun is confused once again as he walks to the rails, shouting, “How do you know my name?”

“My boss told me! You gave our cafe an A rating so thank you for that! Hope to see you dine in Timeless Coffees next time!” Taeyong calls out, his head popping out as he smiled up at Jaehyun. They don’t converse more after that and jaehyun is left stunned to himself, the pack of cookies still in his hand.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Later that evening, Jaehyun gives in to his curiosity, opting to take one of the cookies Taeyong offered him that morning. He had just finished his rather meek dinner of fried salmon paired with a huge bowl of kimchi rice when the thought crossed him, much to his surprise.

“What am I thinking,” he says as he reaches out for the packaging on his island counter. He unties the ribbon on the plastic and draws out one cookie, his nose scrunching up in disgust. There was no way he’d allow himself to even take a bite of that treat, no matter how inviting the chocolate on it still looked at the end of the day. He forces himself to eat the piece he’s taken, chewing rather quickly before swallowing it with a glassful of water. He’d have to get rid of the cookies somehow and so he makes the decision of giving them again to Johnny, texting him and giving him a heads up about his small “gift”.

Jaehyun shakes his head, lightly chuckling to himself at the poor attempt. He clears his dishes and washes them quickly, storing them in his dish cabinet before fully exiting his kitchen. His mind buzzed with the thought that he'd have to test taste sweets from the bubbly baker downstairs and the mere idea made his skin crawl.

If this was the “something new” he was wishing for since last night, then he wanted  _ out of it _ and  _ now _ .


	2. Chapter 2

“Jaehyunnie?”

The man in question looks up knowingly from his laptop, his hands frozen and hovering over his keyboard. In front of him stood Taeyong, looking nice as always with his hair now black and his uniform, ironed to perfection. He had a knowing smile on his face and judging from it, Jaehyun knew what the older was about to ask.

“No. I’m working tonight,” he says the moment Taeyong places his usual drink of iced Americano on his table. Taeyong’s mouth hangs open at the rejection, his eyebrows furrowed as he resumes a pout that made Jaehyun smile in amusement every time.

Just not this time because he was trying his God honest to be serious when talking to Taeyong.

“It’s been  _ four months since you moved here _ , Jaehyunnie. I know your schedule like the back of my hand—”

“That’s impossible—”

“—so I know when you’re working or not,” the older finishes with finality, his hands firm on his hips as he reasons out with Jaehyun.

If Jaehyun was going to be honest, the "sweet business" between him and Taeyong wasn’t faring well with him. Although Taeyong does try his best to minimize the sweetness in whatever he baked for Jaehyun, the younger still managed to skip most days whenever he’s “available"; often saying that he needs to attend multiple restaurant openings and local food fairs in order to meet deadlines and whatnot. In reality, he just didn't want anything to do with sweets anymore, even if it was just once a week.

Another thing was that he didn't want to face Taeyong every damn weekend. There was something about how the younger man showed up on his doorstep during nine in the evening, already looking cozy and ready for bed, his vanilla scented sweaters tickling Jaehyun's nose as he passes him by.

"Come on, Jaehyunnie," Taeyong urges, taking a seat in front of Jaehyun and placing the tray in front of him. He notices the older’s lips jutted out, seemingly begging him to take his request. “We already missed out on loads of weekends last month. So pretty please? With rainbow sprinkled on top?” the puppy-eyed man asks once again, his hands clasped together for more effect.

Jaehyun’s eye nearly twitches at the sight.  _ For fuck’s sake, stop being so cute,  _ he says to himself, looking anywhere  _ but _ Taeyong. He spots the owner of the cafe, Mr. Moon (or that’s how his tag says), humming to himself as he cleans up the counter. Jaehyun tries to focus on him, thinking that staring hard enough would make him call his employee back but sadly, the owner doesn’t budge.

Jaehyun diverts his attention back to the older who was now looking out the window quietly, his hands quietly placed on his lap. He observes Taeyong, looking how his bangs falls just above the crease of his eyebrows and Jaehyun wonders if he ever needs to clamp them up while baking, his soft hair pushed back revealing a view of a forehead he has yet to see. From where he sat, Jaehyun’s head screams ‘tiny’ at the man in front of him, Taeyong’s frame being small enough to fit in the plush cushion seat as he sat cross legged in front of him.

He wonders how a childish man can be so endearing to him; the way his pout forms whenever he asks him a favor or the way his eyes shine whenever Jaehyun complimented his cooking skill. Nevertheless, Jaehyun wasn’t too keen on meeting him for something stupid (at least to Jaehyun) but he was never the one to back down on an agreement.

Unless he wanted to, just to save himself from Taeyong.

“What time?” he speaks, effectively catching Taeyong’s attention and he could swear the older man’s ears twitch at the reply. His lips curve into a smile and Jaehyun resists the urge to return it, pursing his lips into a thin line so as to not seem lightweight against Taeyong’s charms. 

Taeyong stands and claps his hands together. “Nine in the evening. You’re gonna love what I’m baking tonight,” he promises as he stands. He bows gracefully, the tray on his chest before walking back to disappear into the back of the shop, his hair bouncing with each step he took. 

Jaehyun slumps on his chair defeated, rubbing his temples as if he’s finished four month’s worth of revised food critiques ready for printing. He takes his cold drink and takes a sip of it, hoping that his caffeine-induced self would bring him back to his senses.

All those weekends of avoiding Taeyong were  _ nothing  _ if he was just going to give in by the end of it. But Jaehyun realizes after that there was simply no way around Taeyong’s puppy eyes, the very thing that made him give in.

_ To hell with it _ , Jaehyun says mentally, resuming typing on his laptop with a damp mood.  _ It’s only one evening after how many weeks. How bad could it be? _

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Jaehyun hears a pattern of knocks on his door, startling him from his quiet dinner. He sighs deeply, fixing the hood of his jacket before standing up to greet the older. His hand twists on the knob and upon opening his door, he was met with probably one of the cutest sights of Taeyong he has ever seen.

“May I come in?” Taeyong asks him sweetly, his hair bouncing as he rocks on the heels of his feet. His eyes were ten times wider than they were earlier, seeing that he donned a rather thick pair of glasses that rested on his face. His night clothes consisted of a loose pair of cloud-patterned pyjamas and cat slippers, making him look twelve than twenty-five. A small tote was with him, the canvas bag hanging from his shoulder as he held it close to his body as if fearing it being stolen from him.

And from where Jaehyun stood, he could smell yet again that vanilla scent Taeyong always had. It tickled Jaehyun’s nose ever so slightly yet the impact it had on the older was sending chills down his spine. There was something about vanilla that he loved yet there was something  _ more  _ to it whenever it was on Taeyong. The scent didn’t seem to fit him but he made it work and he was  _ damn good  _ with it.

_ On God, what is this fit?  _ Jaehyun asks himself, ignoring the urge to slam the door on Taeyong’s face and scream into his throw pillows. He could feel his ears heating up and he could only silently pray to the heavens that Taeyong’s glasses weren’t prescription ones.

“Are you Lee Taeyong or a kid lost? Do you want me to contact your mom?” he jokes, trying to lift the awkwardness that settled between them. Taeyong crosses his arms cutely, a gesture Jaehyun didn’t think existed until Taeyong did it, and opened his mouth to protest.

“I’m not giving you these free treats if you’re mean like that.”

“Oh, good then. I guess I’ll just finish my dinner and sleep,” Jaehyun says and hurriedly closes the door only to be stopped by the smaller man’s hand.

“I’m just  _ kidding _ , jeez. You need to learn how to take a joke.”

“I think I could say the same for you, Taeyong.”

“Really foul, Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong retorts, stepping into the younger’s room, his head turning around curiously as if inspecting it. “And I’m wearing this because I’m going straight to bed right after. I have a shift at four in the morning tomorrow.”

Jaehyun shuts the door loudly and stares at the older’s back. “Four in the morning?” he says as he moves back into the kitchen to finish the last bits of his meal. “That’s a very ungodly hour.”

“I know. And it’s actually stupid, really. Who in the right mind would want coffee at four in the morning? You’re supposed to be  _ asleep  _ at that hour—”

“Well, I work until four in the morning—”

“— yet here you are bothering someone for coffee at four in the  _ fucking morning _ ,” Taeyong finishes, dragging an empty seat across Jaehyun and slumping on it. He places his tote on top of the table and leans heavily on the chair, his mouth drawn into a pout once again. “It’s a bummer too because I can’t even tend to what I have to do tonight after this. And Ruby has a checkup tomorrow at twelve noon so I won’t be able to nap during my two hour break.”

“Who’s Ruby again?” Jaehyun asks, standing up to wash his dishes as he listened to Taeyong babble (“My beloved dog! Jaehyunnie, how can you forget about her?”), to which he responded with occasional hums.

“You’re taking your sweet time washing the dishes,” Taeyong points out in the middle of his rambling, making Jaehyun choke as he drank his cool barley tea. He places his glass down on the sink and grabs a mug for Taeyong to drink on, placing the barley filled mug in front of Taeyong as the older takes a small tupperware out of his tote. He then takes out his own plate and utensils and gives one plate to Jaehyun, the younger taking it gracefully from him 

“I kinda toned down the menu for tonight,” Taeyong says as he serves Jaehyun his share. “I was feeling good about banana bread tonight so I baked it.”

Jaehyun looks down at the food in front of him. From the onset, he could tell that the bread was moist, even chewy as he pokes it with his fork. The chocolate chips on the bread do not go unnoticed and Jaehyun wonders what went on the young baker’s mind when he put those chocolate chips in it. He slices up a bite sized piece, taking it with the fork and staring at it, silently judging it before taking a bite.

The chocolate chip melts in his mouth as he ate and instantly, he takes another piece to chew on, bigger this time for more access. The bread was moist yet firm, the taste sweet yet not to the point of overpowering his taste buds compared to the ones he’s tried before. The banana bread was still warm against his tongue and Jaehyun wasted no time finishing the entire piece, savoring it down to the last bite.

“I take it that you like it?” he hears Taeyong timidly ask from across him, smiling shyly as he held the tupperware in between his hands with care. “I used to bake this a lot for my friends in university and they all loved it. Even Mr. Moon and Ten loves it.” He takes a piece and places it on his plate, taking a bite and closing his eyes in delight as he marvelled at his own creation. “I have many stories with this banana bread but basically I give this to people I’d love to be friends with.”

Jaehyun eyes him, raising his eyebrows up as he watches the older eat. “You and me? Friends?”

Taeyong adjusts himself on the chair, sitting cross legged as he ate. He nods childishly, smiling cheekily at the younger as he takes another piece and eating it after cleaning his palette with the cool barley tea from earlier. “Yes. Friends. Does that seem weird to you, Jaehyunnie?”

“I’m just your unofficial food critic, Taeyong. You literally forced me to be one.”

“I did not force you!” Taeyong pauses, looking around before giggling quietly. “Okay, maybe I did. But I was desperate, okay? I want to help around the cafe more and I owe Mr. Moon a lot so naturally, I want to become a better baker for the cafe.”

Jaehyun stares at him while he ate. He could not believe the sudden turn of events he was experiencing right now as Taeyong ate. Who knew this chatty and childish man would be willing to be friends with an irate workaholic like him? Not to mention the fact that it took him a  _ month _ to be friends with Taeyong which made Jaehyun really wonder about his poorly developed social skills.

“So. Friends?” Taeyong asks one more time, closing the tupperware and pushing it towards Jaehyun with a smile. The younger stares at Taeyong’s hand and wonders if it was just as soft as the banana bread he just had. He wonders if it smelled like vanilla like his clothes or would it fit perfectly against his, the idea of contact making Jaehyun lose his cool slightly.

“We  _ could  _ be friends if the banana bread didn’t have any chocolate chips on it,” he teases. Taeyong fumes half-heartedly, crossing his arms once again as he kicked Jaehyun’s feet from under the table. 

“That’s so mean! I’m making a sincere offer here!”

“And I’m offering a sincere feedback as well! Why’d you have to kick me like that?”

They bicker loudly, occasionally laughing at their pointless remarks and off-topic retorts and Jaehyun feels light. He’s been a shut-in for a month while living in this new environment yet Taeyong kept wanting to break that lifestyle, the smell and taste of his sweets attracting Jaehyun in a manner he could not resist.

Some time after their plates were washed and the banana bread gone, Taeyong had to leave. Jaehyun escorted him to the door, carrying his tote with his necessities for him and opens the door for Taeyong.

“You know,” Jaehyun says, leaning against the doorframe as Taeyong steps out of his room, “when you said you’d be sleeping right after, I actually thought you’d be sleeping over here.”

Taeyong looks at him with wide eyes and laughs out loud, doubling over before reaching out to pinch Jaehyun’s cheek. “Jaehyunnie, that’s so cute! Maybe I should just end up staying here then—”

“Oh, God, no.” He swats the older’s hand away, rubbing the spot Taeyong pinched. “Go back to your cave.”

“Says the one that literally lives like a shut-in,” Taeyong responds, holding his nose up high as he climbs down the stairs. Jaehyun moves to close the door when Taeyong calls for him, uttering his name in a small voice so as to not wake up the neighbors.

“Next weekend again?” Taeyong offers, beaming up at the younger.

At the back of his head, Jaehyun knew he had a scheduled food fair (for real this time) for that day. But one part of him was saying that he could just attend the next day and get out of the house on a Sunday instead of locking himself up in his room.

With his breath hitched and his ears red, Jaehyun smiles at the older, his dimples growing. “Okay. See you next weekend,” he says quietly. Taeyong smiles widely at the response and bounds down the stairs, humming happily at Jaehyun’s words.

Jaehyun smiles to himself as he continued to lean on the doorframe. The old him wouldn’t have accepted quickly without feigning to check his schedule and he damn well knew that it would take a toll on his work if he decides to skip on that food fair.  _ What the hell are you doing, Jung Yoon-oh _ , he asks himself, reentering his apartment with his heart fluttering and another weekend to look forward to.

Jaehyun doesn’t know what’s come over him. And until the moment his head hits his plush pillows and sleep washes over him, he allows himself to be lost in thought, the image of Taeyong’s eyes still clear inside his head.


	3. Chapter 3

To Jaehyun, Sundays were serene. On fine days, he’d take himself out to lunch, a good book in his book bag and don his comfortable outfits to match his preferred “aesthetic”. He’d observe people around the city and bask in their delight for food, ranging from the simplest to the most exquisite ones he’s seen within the heart of the city.

Yet he finds himself wandering into a pharmacy, grumbling impatiently at the ridiculous line that never moved. Needless to say he was irritable, seeing that long lines made him want to implode badly. However Jaehyun knew that he was doing this for someone else, so he opts to shut his mouth instead, his lips drawn tightly in a silent protest.

If Jaehyun was to recall his steps, he’d blame himself for sticking his nose where he shouldn’t have. He remembers it clearly, like a bright summer sky greeting him ultimately before his demise came. A simple “Hello, Mr. Moon. Have you seen Taeyong around?” was all it took for the man to beam at him and lead him to the older’s apartment.

Of course, Jaehyun being Jaehyun, he had  _ never  _ set foot inside the older’s apartment, much to Mr. Moon’s (or Taeil, as what he’s called) surprise. “You seem close to each other, so why?” the cafe owner asks as they climb up the dreadful flight of stairs, huffing each floor they land on.

“I just really didn’t see the point,” Jaehyun answers quietly, opting to focus on walking rather than talking. Thankfully, Taeil gets the message and chooses to stay silent, allowing the sound of their feet echo on the stairwell.

That is, until they reach a simple blue door, a sign bearing  **LTY ** hanging from a nail on the door. Taeil knocks loudly and unexpectedly shouts, “Taeyongie! Your boyfriend misses you so he’s here to see you!”

“That’s a lie. He’s not my boy—”

“Taeyongie! Are you there?” Taeil shouts once again, cutting Jaehyun off as he raps on the older’s door. Silence greets them and when no one answered, Taeil glumly turns to Jaehyun, sheepishly grinning at him.

“That’s funny. Ruby would’ve been barking at the door by now,” the older says, gesturing towards the door with his thumb. “Sorry, kid. Guess he’s not—”

They hear the door knob rattle from behind them, immediately catching their attention. The lock on top of the door was still connected but from the crack, Jaehyun could make out Taeyong’s thick framed glasses, his eyes dull and lidded behind it. But what caught his eye was the older’s bangs pushed up and held back loosely by a hair tie, a fever patch stuck to his forehead. Half of his face was covered by a mask and in that instance, the two could tell that something was amiss.

“Oh my God, what is it?” Taeyong says tiredly, his voice scratchy as he coughs out harshly. He takes the lock off and opens the door fully, revealing him in a rather large Snoopy patterned pyjamas. His shoulders sagged with exhaustion and the sight alone makes Jaehyun want to put him back to bed and tuck him under thick covers.

“Where’s Ruby?” Taeil says as Taeyong lets them in, immediately sinking into Taeyong’s plush couch. Jaehyun follows in suit, managing to slip in just before Taeyong closed the door on him. 

Upon entering he lets his eyes wander and  _ wow  _ did Taeyong have taste for home decor. Everything was simple yet impacted the room composition nicely and nothing looked out of place. What struck him was the small display of instruments in one corner, a keyboard, ukulele, and guitar neatly kept.

“I had my sister pick her up earlier,” the sick man replies, coughing harshly against his face mask as he took his place on a loveseat. “She’ll bring Ruby back once I’m all healed.”

“What happened to you?” Jaehyun asks distractedly, looking at a small painting the hung just beside Taeyong’s kitchen clock. He turns to go back into the living room and eyes Taeyong worriedly, though making an honest effort to not show it. “I mean, you were fine days ago but now you just look like…” he trailed off, scanning Taeyong from head to toe.

“A mess? Thanks, you didn’t need to remind me,” Taeyong shots at him, surprising Jaehyun. Taeil laughs at the exchange, clapping the confused younger’s shoulder as he stood.

“I’ll leave Jaehyun to you now, Taeyongie,” he says and laughs at Taeyong’s expression, the latter’s mouth hung open as he stares at his boss. “He’s been looking for you that’s why we’re here.” He gives Jaehyun a mysterious wink as he leaves the room, shutting the door gently behind him. Jaehyun stares at the door, inhaling deeply as he silently regrets asking the older about Taeyong.

Awkwardly, Jaehyun shifts his weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep a calm demeanor in front of the older. “So,” he begins, walking in front of the couch to take a seat. “Are you feeling better now?” he asks Taeyong, the older fumbling with his phone and typing furiously on it.

It takes a while for Taeyong to finish typing and Jaehyun could only guess that it was a death threat to probably strangle Mr. Moon at a later date. Once he’s done, Taeyong looks up, clearly sulking at the unwanted guest and replies grimly, “Not really. Do you even see this mask?” He points at his face mask that now hung under his chin before scratching his head irritatedly. 

“Whenever I get sick, it gets really bad, too. I’ve been bed ridden for two days since I got sick and I already miss my dog,” the older whines, drawing his knees closer to his chest and resting his chin on his knees.

Jaehyun fights back the urge to laugh at the older, so he asks, “Then why didn’t you just have your sister stay to take care of you and Ruby?”  _ Okay, the was stupid. Why did I ask that?  _ he thinks to himself. But, he needed to at  _ least  _ get a conversation going if he was going to stay here a bit.

“That’s stupid,” Taeyong replies, looking at the younger weirdly. Jaehyun feels a stab on his chest at the older’s words, but pays no attention to it (though he’s  _ sure  _ it was different when he initially thought of it). “I don’t want to get her or my dog sick. You should know better than that, Jaehyunnie." The older checks the time on his phone and gets up slowly, grumbling at the prospect of having to take his medicine (“Stupid, fucking bitter medicine making my tongue writhe in disgust.”).

Jaehyun's sight followed Taeyong as the older went into the kitchen. He was amused at the sight of a grumpy Taeyong; it was very different from how he normally was, chatty and energetic. A sick Taeyong was an irritable and sulky Taeyong, which Jaehyun found cute, out of many things. More than that, he talked slowly, to which Jaehyun was grateful for. The only difference was he cussed too much, very far from the usual Taeyong he was used to.

"For fuck's sake!" Taeyong shouts, making Jaehyun jolt up and bolt right into the kitchen, his footsteps light and his pace quick. He sees Taeyong counting tablets and capsules inside his medicine kit and watches as he draws his hands together, sighing tiredly while mumbling a string of curses. 

"Are you okay? What is it?"

Taeyong looks up and towards Jaehyun. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you were still here," the older says, sniffing loudly as he puts his mask back on before coughing loudly once again. Jaehyun makes a mental note about how Taeyong was forgetful when he was sick, adding it to his list of what and how a sick Taeyong was (for future references, of course). 

Clearing his throat, the older speaks up once again. "Can you run to the pharmacy and buy me things? I'll make up a list," Taeyong orders, typing into his phone as he walks towards his room, his eyes glued to his screen.

"Hold up. I didn't even say I'd buy you things," Jaehyun argues, following Taeyong and standing by the door of his room. "I was only here to check up on you," he adds, digging his hands back to the pockets of his jacket, watching Taeyong rummage through his room.

"Well, you're here now anyways.” Taeyong hands him the money before pushing Jaehyun out of his room. In his head, he was just there to have a lovely chat with Taeyong and maybe get to know him a bit. I mean if they were going to become friends, he was going to have to know him a bit more.

Although this was already getting troublesome, much to Jaehyun’s distaste.

“Are you sure this is enough money?” Jaehyun asks, counting the paper bills given to him. He sees Taeyong nod from the side of his eye before the older hands him his phone. Confused, Jaehyun takes it and gives him a questioning look.

Taeyong motions to his phone. “Put in your number in. I’ll send the list to you,” he says. Jaehyun types in his number before handing his phone back to Taeyong, the older taking it and sending the list immediately to him. He grabs Jaehyun’s wrist and pulls him out of his apartment. 

“Get me cookies, too,” Taeyong says quietly, stepping back in his apartment. “Thank you, Jaehyunnie. I really owe you a lot.” He closes the door slowly, waving from behind it before finally shutting it.

Jaehyun was left in the hallway, dumbfounded. He did  _ not  _ just lose a Sunday because of his own stupidity.

But of course, he  _ did _ lose a Sunday, much to his demise. 

And that brings him back to the pharmacy, the line finally moving with him up next for checkout. 

As soon as it was his turn, he gives the cashier his items (including two packs of cookies for Taeyong, under his request) and pays for it. The cashier flashes him a smile and greets him on his way out, Jaehyun too busy and irritated to even send out a reply, much less flash a smile. 

He walks out of the pharmacy, items in hand and steps into the streets. The sun was high up and shining and Jaehyun couldn’t be more bummed out at the lost time. Of all the days Taeyong had to get sick, it had to be  _ now _ .

From his pockets, he hears his phone ping, making him step aside monetarily. He fishes it out of his pockets and opens it, revealing a message from Taeyong.

**did you finally get the items? (ㅇㅅㅇ)**

_ Sent: 11:39 AM _

“What the fuck is that,” he whispers to himself, stopping by a bench on the side of a flower shop and sits on it. He leans forward on his knees and begins to type.

**Yes. And what’s with that weird emoji?**

_ Sent: 11:41 AM _

**it’s called a KaoEmoji. haven’t you heard of it before? (ᅌᴗᅌ)**

_ Sent: 11:44 AM _

**No. And I don’t planning on knowing.**

_ Sent: 11:49 AM _

**it’s an app, Jaehyunnie (** **ﾉ≧** **ڡ** **≦). ** **don’t you use these? you have to try it! :)**

_ Sent: 11:52 AM _

**No, but okay then? I have your medicine and cookies now.**

_ Sent: 11:55 AM _

Quick on his steps, Jaehyun begins to walk once again. People were bustling in and out of stores and some were with their families, enjoying the fine Sunday sun. He thinks about how he could’ve been enjoying a food fair nearby by now but  _ no _ ; he had to be the meddlesome little shit he was and so now, he’s stuck with babysitting.

Not exactly babysitting, but since Taeyong was like one, he can consider him, too. 

Crossing the street, he hears his phone ping once again. He waits until he gets to the other side of the street before pausing in his footsteps to read the message.

**yay! ╰(*´︶`*)╯thank you so much! (◍•ᴗ•◍) please bring them over!**

_ Sent: 12:02 PM _

He stares at the message, long and hard. Truthfully, the emojis  _ looked _ like the normal Taeyong in text form and his lips curl into a smile, his dimples popping out cutely. There was magic in the simplicity of Taeyong’s words and it made Jaehyun feel lighter than earlier. 

With a fluttering heart, he types out a last message before making his way back.

**I will. See you soon, Taeyong.**

_ Sent: 12:05 PM _

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

After the mess that happened this morning, courtesy of his nosy self, Jaehyun finds himself texting Taeyong once again. 

He had just gotten up from his nap when his phone pinged the moment he opened his eyes. Jaehyun holds his phone up to his face, the light slightly blinding him as he squints onto the screen of his phone. It was only a little after seven in the evening and Jaehyun couldn’t remember a time he napped that long since moving to this apartment complex. 

Sitting up slowly, Jaehyun tries to flatten his hair but fails, the brunet clicking his tongue irritatedly. He unlocks his phone to read the message from the baker, the younger raising an eyebrow at the message.

**jaehyunnie! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚**

_ Sent: 7:30 PM _

**What is it? You disturbed me** .

_ Sent: 7:32 PM _

“Might as well tease him a bit,” Jaehyun says, leaning into a stack of pillows he’s made behind him. He watches as three dots appear from Taeyong’s side, the younger assuming Taeyong typing into his phone with a pout on his face. Jaehyun smiles at the thought but quickly swats it away from his head, deciding to focus on what was he to reply to the older. 

**can you please please please please do something for me? (´∩｀。)**

_ Sent: 7:36 PM _

**What is it? If it’s troublesome, I won’t do it.**

_ Sent: 7:38 PM _

**can you please cook for me? (´。＿。｀)**

_ Sent: 7:40 PM _

Jaehyun purses his lips, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he thought of his reply. Truthfully, Jaehyun didn’t trust his cooking skills enough for him to show off to Taeyong. His friends often made sure to compliment him for it and even his relatives said his cooking skills were exceptional. 

But right now, he wasn’t quite sure of himself and he didn’t know why.

Although he really  _ did  _ want to help so he finds himself typing away on his phone before tossing it into his bed to get dressed. He plans the meal in his head as he fits into a new shirt and with a bounce on his step, he leaves his room, humming happily to himself.

**Okay. Give me time to cook then I’ll be right over.**

_ Sent: 7:41 PM _

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

“I hate how you never told me about your god tier cooking skills,” Taeyong comments, wiping the table in lazy circles. The two just finished eating their meal and Jaehyun was more than pleased with Taeyong’s reaction, his eyes lighting up with every bite he took. Of course there was also the fact that Taeyong hasn’t eaten a proper meal ever since getting sick but maybe Jaehyun was just denying  _ too  _ hard for his own good.

“We only became friends recently, Taeyong. I am in no position to tell you about it if you were to ask me,” Jaehyun says, carefully washing the plates and placing them on the dish rack to dry. “And besides, I only cook for myself and my closest friends so be thankful for the opportunity,” he adds, smiling to himself. He feels Taeyong come up to his side and scoot him a bit to wash the table rug before hanging it on a towel rack. The older pokes Jaehyun’s sides, making him jump up, his shoulder tensing at the touch.

“What even—”

“Don’t hide your skills, Jaehyunnie! You gotta show them off too sometimes!” Taeyong encourages him, patting his shoulder. He moves to Jaehyun’s left side and begins wiping the plates, the gesture being all too domestic and comfortable which suited Jaehyun’s taste.

“I’m not hiding my skills. I’m just comfortable with cooking to people I’m familiar with.”

“So does that mean I’m familiar to you then?” Taeyong asks Jaehyun quietly. The younger looks at Taeyong, the older’s wide eyes looking right into him as he anticipated his answer. Jaehyun felt compelled to lean forward, as if wanting to whisper the answer so as to not have anyone hear it. 

But he figures he was being stupid again and so he turns back to washing the dishes. “Kind of,” he simply says, his voice being drowned out by the sound of running water. Taeyong hums out a reply and says nothing more, opting to focus his attention to the chores at hand.

They worked in silence, Jaehyun occasionally humming while Taeyong stored away the dishes he washed. Jaehyun was more than thankful for the silence although he does admit that he kind of misses Taeyong’s chatty self (not that he was complaining about the lack of interaction or anything). However, it was also then Jaehyun realizes that he likes listening to the older talk, even though sometimes all he talked about was things he wasn’t particularly interested in. Nevertheless he still tries to make an effort to understand Taeyong although he doesn’t know where that particular effort is coming from.

The two finish up quickly and Taeyong immediately disappears into the living room, stretching on the couch and snuggling under the blanket he brought out a while ago. Jaehyun follows in suit, placing everything in the kitchen back in its place before heading to where Taeyong was.

“Won’t you sleep in your room?” the younger asks him curiously, wiping his hands on his handkerchief before taking his place on the floor, a good inches away from Taeyong. He crosses his arms over his chest and observes as the older wordlessly hands him a fever patch, Jaehyun taking it automatically and kneeling down to place it on Taeyong’s head.

“It’s scary in there without Ruby,” Taeyong says, mumbling a ‘thank you’ once Jaehyun sticks the patch on his forehead. “Ruby makes it comfortable for me to sleep there.”

“Are you afraid of the dark?”

“Kind of. But it’s more of the thought that I won’t be able to figure out who enters my room because it’s pitch black inside. That’s why I sleep with a night light on,” Taeyong explains, placing his hands under his head. “Although it’s still different with my baby. I miss Ruby already,” the older complains, sulking at the absence of his dog.

If there was one thing Jaehyun wasn’t good at, it was comforting people directly with words. He was one awkward fuck (or so his best friend, Mark, puts it nicely) and he never knew how to deal with it, often resorting to just shut up and watch when someone was complaining to him.

However something nagged Jaehyun on the inside, as if wanting him to do something about Taeyong. Heaving a sigh, he stands and walks to where the instruments were, taking the guitar carefully out of its stand and going back to his place with it.

“You know, I never really learned how to play the guitar,” Taeyong says, motioning weakly at the guitar. “It’s just nice to have it as a display.”

“You should probably start learning soon,” Jaehyun says, plucking the strings to check if it was in tune. “It’s quite easy, believe me.”

Taeyong rolls to his side, tucking an arm under his head. “Show me how easy it is,” he urges, his free hand gesturing at Jaehyun to play. The younger laughs at him but nonetheless positions himself to play the instrument.

“I have to admit I’m quite rusty already.” He begins by playing simple chords, choosing to pluck instead of strumming just because he wasn’t in the mood to play loudly. He could feel Taeyong’s gaze on him as he played so he decided to switch it up a bit.

“ _ Lately I find myself out gazing at stars, hearing guitars like someone in love, _ ” he sings softly, the lyrics making Taeyong chuckle. Jaehyun pause a bit and looks at Taeyong, the older holding up an apologetic hand. Jaehyun gives him a smile in return, leaving Taeyong slightly taken aback at the gesture.

Jaehyun resumes playing, this time singing in a softer voice. “ _ Each time I look at you, I’m limp as a glove and feeling like someone in love,”  _ he finishes, smiling widely at Taeyong who clapped for him.

“You said it was easy. How was plucking numerous chords easy?” 

“It  _ is  _ easy if you practice,” Jaehyun says, placing the guitar down on its back. “Although I take you wouldn’t make an effort to try and learn it?” Jaehyun adds, placing his arm on his crossed legs and letting his chin rest on his hand. Taeyong looks at him softly and smiles, chuckling to himself as he shakes his head. He pulls the covers to his chin and sighs tiredly, like a child about to pass out and sleep.

They sit in silence for a while, Jaehyun mindlessly tapping into his phone while Taeyong rests, his eyes closed though not quite asleep yet. He was about to speak up and say his goodbyes when Taeyong beats him to it, the older speaking in a hushed voice only loud enough for Jaehyun to hear. “Jaehyunnie, lean forward a bit so that I can reach you,” he says, stretching a hand out and motioning for Jaehyun to scoot closer to him.

“What is it?” the younger asks, learning forward. He tenses up at the sudden contact with Taeyong, the older brushing his hand through Jaehyun’s hair akin to how one coos their pet. Taeyong smiles, his eyes crinkling in a way that made Jaehyun’s skin buzz and crackle with excitement, his heart pounding in his ears at the proximity between them.

“What are you doing?” he bluntly asks, trying to keep a straight face as Taeyong rests his hand behind Jaehyun’s head, rubbing small circles on his nape with his thumb.

“Nothing. I’ve been meaning to do this for so long already and I finally got to do it,” Taeyong says softly, bringing his hand to Jaehyun’s cheek and pinching it. “And you really do have good skin, too. Rice cake skin,” the older mumbles sleepily, smiling lopsidedly as he pokes on Jaehyun’s cheek.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, was silently praying that Taeyong was sick enough to  _ not _ see the blush that was starting to grow on his cheeks. Although he wasn’t a fan of people engaging physical contact with him, he liked how light and warm Taeyong’s hand was, his fingers barely ghosting over his pale skin. He liked how the older would pinch his skin lightly, Taeyong cooing at him as he does so before bursting into quiet fits of laughter. 

However as much as he likes Taeyong’s touch on his face (for some weird reason), he lifts his hand to gently put down Taeyong’s hand, the older whining at the lost touch. He reaches out to gently remove Taeyong’s eyeglasses and places it on the table beside the couch.

“You should probably sleep now. It’s already late.” Jaehyun stands to return the guitar on its place, Taeyong sitting up slowly to observe him. Secretly, Jaehyun didn’t want to leave him but he didn’t want to be the one to cause Taeyong’s prolonged sickness. And as much as it bothers him, he, too, was getting sleepy by the minute.

“I’ll see you out.” Taeyong gets up to open the door for him and unlock the chain on it. Jaehyun steps out, but stops to look at Taeyong one last time. The older flashes him a tired smile and waves him goodbye, Jaehyun returning it wordlessly. Taeyong closes the door on him and he hears it click but he doesn’t move. He stares at the door, wondering if he stared long enough, Taeyong would open the door for him once again.

But it doesn’t, prompting Jaehyun to leave, feeling slightly dumb by waiting. 

If he were to be asked about his day, he’d most likely recall everything and say that it was a hassle, being the grouchy homebody he was. However as soon as he tucks himself under his covers, he finally realizes the thing that was missing today and  _ oh how was it ironic for him to think about it. _

“He didn’t give me any sweets...” he trailed off, drawing his blanket up to his chin. The prospect of eating sweets was an abomination for him and he didn’t know why or what made him think about it. Almost instantly, though, the image of Taeyong watching him eat sweets pops into mind, a fluttering feeling invading him as he rolls to his side to hug his blanket. He imagines how Taeyong’s eyes would crinkle in delight whenever he complimented his sweets then instantly turn into a pout once he begins to criticize it. 

Yet no matter how much he tries to deny Taeyong’s sweets, it was the baker’s overall charm that made the sweets seem sweeter than they actually were. Taeyong’s creations were simple, that much he could say, but they had  _ stories  _ into them. He loved that the older would go off into a narration whenever they bonded over whatever Taeyong baked and Jaehyun would keep these stories in mind, reserving it for himself when he actually  _ does  _ have the guts to eat the sweets once again. 

But maybe it was only Jaehyun’s established thinking of Taeyong that makes his sweets enticing and enjoyable. And although he was never going to say it out loud for the life of him, maybe Jaehyun  _ does  _ actually like sweets after all. But only just a little bit. Nothing more than that.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

The next weekend rolls in and Jaehyun was more than pleased to welcome Taeyong into his apartment, the older finally free of his flu. Tonight he was in his favorite pyjamas: a simple monochrome blue pair that complemented his white bear slippers well paired with his signature wide-rimmed glasses. Jaehyun chuckles at the sight, earning a smack on the arm from the older as he enters his room (“May I have you know that this pair was  _ fucking expensive _ .” “Well, no one asked you to buy it then.”).

“I bought something too special today. But I hope you’d like it,” Taeyong says as soon as he settles in the younger’s dining room. He places a small white box in the middle of the table and opens it, revealing an all too familiar pastry for Jaehyun.

Jaehyun’s nose crinkles in pure judgement for the older. “You know you could’ve done better than bake strawberry shortcake,” he quietly says, setting down plates and utensils for them before moving to boil some water for their tea.

“Hey! That’s rude,” Taeyong retorts, huffing as he crosses his arms over his chest. Jaehyun laughs at the sight of the older pouting, sitting a good inches away from him so as to not have his arm slapped once again. “I left work early just to prepare this for you.”

“How flattering. I am touched.”

“That response is so  _ dry _ , Jaehyunnie.”

Jaehyun responds by merely smiling. He moves to prepare their dessert teas, Jaehyun placing Taeyong's drink on one of his huge mugs. He serves the drink and proceeds to cut the cake up, listening as Taeyong talks excitedly.

“I actually experimented on this recipe myself. Of course Mr. Moon wouldn’t give his  _ own  _ recipe—you have to try it sometimes, Jaehyunnie—so I had to ask my mom for her recipe then improve it using mine.” Jaehyun hums in response and places a cake-filled plate in front of Taeyong, the older pulling his plate closer to him while bouncing happily in his seat. “I never actually tasted this myself and I wanted you to be the first one to taste it.”

“As always,” Jaehyun says, taking a seat and pulling his own plate closer to him. He cleans his palette with a strong sip of tea and stares at the cake. Its composition looked inviting, from the strawberry in the middle of the slice down to the last cream decorated on its sides, and Jaehyun’s mouth slightly watered at the sight.

“Hurry up, Jaehyunnie. I wanna eat my slice already,” Taeyong says, tapping on his legs with his foot from underneath the table. "But there's one thing I promise you and that's the fact that this isn't as sweet as the other ones I've baked before."

"We'll have to see that, Taeyong," the brunet says quietly, taking his fork to poke on the strawberry. He takes a slice of the delicacy and brings it to his nose, the fruity and vanilla scent mixing together and Jaehyun fights the urge to smile at the scent, doing his best to keep up with the “I hate sweets” image he’s put up. He eyes Taeyong one last time before finally taking a bite in one go.

There was so much to say yet so little words to use. The taste was something Jaehyun wasn’t used to, the sweetness of the whipped cream being controlled by the sourness that the strawberries provided, making it a perfect balance in his mouth. The cake was moist and it settled well in his mouth, the amount of vanilla used on it was just right for him, urging him to take another piece from his slice. He relished the delicacy, chewing slowly and taking his time with the dessert.

“Holy  _ crap _ ,” Jaehyun finally manages to say on his third bite. Taeyong laughs at his direction, delighted at the younger’s reaction to his pastry.

“I’m pleased that you like it,” Taeyong says through his smile, his eyes crinkling softly as he finally takes a bite of his own piece. “Although I honestly could use more sweetness on this.”

“Please, no. This is  _ perfect _ . What’s not to like with your perfect cake, Taeyong?” he asks, slicing another piece for himself. He wasn’t being sarcastic or anything this time around; heck, he genuinely  _ liked  _ the cake which was such a rarity for him.

“What do you think of it?” Taeyong asks, finishing up the last bits of his cake. He sets his plate to the side and brings his mug to his mouth, taking a sip of the tea Jaehyun prepared for them. “Overall thoughts?”

Jaehyun takes a final bite of his cake before moving to drink his tea. “I’ve tasted a number of shortcakes before this and nothing compares to what you’ve made,” he compliments, making Taeyong break into a wide grin at his words. He gratefully returns the smile and continues, “I love how the sweetness was controlled by the sourness of the strawberries. And although the cake itself was sweet, it did not end up overpowering the strawberries.” He pokes at the last piece left on his plate and takes it in his mouth. “The whipped cream could use a bit of work. It wasn’t firm enough for me.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Taeoyng shyly says, smiling sheepishly from behind his mug. “I was already rushing with the cream because you’d probably close the doors on me like last time.”

“That was  _ one  _ time. And that was because I had a headache.” 

They continue talking, alternating between personal topics and their work. Taeyong learns of Jaehyun’s work as a food critic more properly; how he was a freelance food critic and would often take numerous offers from newly opened and small food hubs and cafes that has heard of his popularity online. “I’m more inclined to tasting meals and not sweets, that’s why I was kind of pissed off when you basically asked me to critique your food.”

“But why did you accept?” Taeyong asks innocently, looking at Jaehyun with a questioning look. 

Jaehyun freezes in place. He now begins to wonder as well: why did he accept such a request? Not to mention the fact that Taeyong  _ was  _ a stranger, just a man with an addiction to sweets and a passion for baking who lived several floors down below him. 

However, there was something in the way Jaehyun felt whenever Taeyong smiled at him. There was a sense of security overtaking him whenever Taeyong got comfortable enough with him, prompting him to talk about things he didn’t want others to know. He  _ liked  _ the idea of being special to Taeyong, even if it was just because of the older using his position to improve his baking.

But if Jaehyun was going to be honest, it wasn’t just that. In fact, it was something simpler than that, yet so stupid at the same time. “I liked your hair when we first met,” the younger says quietly, looking down at his mug as he tried to suppress a smile. He looks up to meet Taeyong’s eyes and for the first time, he wonders how wonderful they got whenever they were wide and excited. 

“You liked my hair?” Taeyong asks and Jaehyun nodded. “It reminded me of cotton candy. And if I was going to be honest with you, that’s the  _ only  _ sweet delicacy I’ll accept.”

Taeyong laughs, his mouth pulled into a wide grin and Jaehyun could see a minute hint of red on his cheeks as well. “How come, Jaehyunnie?”

“It’s probably the easiest delicacy to eat. It just melts away and it’s pretty too.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Taeyong asks, testing Jaehyun. Innocently, the younger nods. “Anyone would think you’re pretty, Taeyong. Especially when you’re smiling,” he says, smiling at how Taeyong took his compliment, the older bashfully looking away and busying himself with his mug of tea.

They continued talking until such time, Taeyong had to leave as it was getting late. The older packs the last slice of cake and helps Jaehyun clean up, placing the dishes in the sink for Jaehyun to wash. “I’ll see you out,” Jaehyun quietly says, leading Taeyong out of the dining room and back to the living room. He opens the door and Taeyong steps out, looking back at Jaehyun and lingering at his doorstep.

“Thank you for the wonderful evening, Jaehyunnie,” he says, softly smiling at the younger. Jaehyun’s ears heat up and he conceals his shyness with a smile, his dimples popping out instantaneously.

“It’s no problem. And Taeyong...” Jaehyun trails off, seemingly hesitant about what he was to say. He digs his hands into his pockets as he leans on the doorframe, pursing his lips as he tries to make sense of what he wanted to say. Taeyong takes this as his cue to approach the younger and he does, reaching out to Jaehyun’s face as he brings it near to his. 

“If I’m going to be honest as well, I think you look sweeter when your dimples pop out,” Taeyong tells him. Their faces were close and Jaehyun only needed to crouch down a bit more for him to close the space in between them. He wonders if they were sweet, too and maybe if they were, he’d might just end up getting addicted to the taste. 

And so he decides to find out for himself. He leans in, Taeyong obliging automatically and their lips collide, the leftover taste of whipped cream still lingering in their mouths. The kiss was soft and steady, parting each time their lips moved, Taeyong gripping loosely onto Jaehyun’s hair with one hand while the latter had his hand on Taeyong’s face, rubbing circles on his cheekbones with his thumb.

They break apart after a good minute, Taeyong resting his forehead on the younger. Jaehyun smiles bashfully, allowing the heat travel up to his face as Taeyong looks at him with warm eyes.

“You know, I have something to tell you,” Jaehyun says quietly, rising to his full height once again. He smiles confidently at the older, feeling good after what just transpired.

Taeyong’s cheeks, however, were flushed red and Jaehyun couldn’t help but think he was a strawberry coated with chocolate. He chuckles and bends down once again to give Taeyong’s cheek a peck. “Maybe sweets aren’t so bad afterall.”

Taeyong smiles, pinching Jaehyun’s cheeks while the younger laughs at his touch. ”I’ve always been addicted to sweets so I’d know.”

“So you’ve been addicted to me all this time?”

“Who says you were sweet?”

“I’m practically the sweetest man alive.”

Taeyong laughs and Jaehyun’s stomach flips. Sweetly, he takes the baker’s face into his hands once again and presses another kiss on his lips, Taeyong laughing under it as an attempt to tease Jaehyun. “See?” the younger says says, giving another peck. The older nuzzles his face on Jaehyun’s hand, relishing the warmth that flowed from it.

“I’ll take your word on that, Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong says. 

For once, there was a sugary sensation that sparked Jaehyun’s (somehow) bitter living. And it came in the form of Lee Taeyong, the baker too sweet enough for anyone yet contained just the right amount of sweetness for Jaehyun.

And he loved it. At least now he  _ could  _ say he liked sweets, even if it was just a little bit on the delicacy-filled side and more of the Taeyong side.


End file.
